Reading and Health Benefits

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2018
Vol.3 No.4:39
Mini Review
DOI: 10.4172/2472-1654.100149
iMedPub Journals
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© Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License | This article is available in: http://healthcare-communications.imedpub.com/archive.php
Journal of Healthcare Communications
ISSN 2472-1654
Kourkouta L1*,
Iliadis C2, Frantzana A3
and Vakalopoulou V4
1 Department of Nursing, Alexander
Technological Educaonal Instute of
Thessaloniki, Greece
2 Private Diagnosc Health Center,
Thessaloniki, Greece
3 General Hospital of Thessaloniki
“Papanikolaou”, Greece
4 7oHigh School of Athens, Greece
*Corresponding author:
Kourkouta Lambrini
 laku1964@yahoo.gr
Department of Nursing, Alexander
Technological Educaonal Instute of
Thessaloniki, Greece.
Citaon: Kourkouta L, Iliadis C, Frantzana A
Vakalopoulou V (2018) Reading and Health
Benets. J Healthc Commun Vol.3 No.4:39
Reading and Health Benets
Received: November 05, 2018; Accepted: November 20, 2018; Published: November
25, 2018
Abstract
Introducon: A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. According to sciensts,
reading oers very tangible benets for our health except for life culvaon,
formaon of a person’s soul and broadeningof our horizons.
Purpose: This reviewaims at delvinginto the eects of reading and studying in
order to promote health and quality of life.
Review methods: The material of the study has been recent arcles concerning
the subject. They have been mainly found via electronic databases Medline,
Google Scholar and the Hellenic academic libraries Link (HEAL-Link). 30 reference
sources were included.
Results: Reading is a most benecial exercise for our brain and mind as it could
help the human brain perform all its funcons as properly as possible. When
people read on a regular basis, they force their minds to think more; as a result, it
enables reader to be more insighul. It should be noted that reading is a complex
process during which, we use both hemispheres of the brain. At the same me,
the Corpus Callosum, which is the ssue that connects the two hemispheres, is
acvated. Thereby, it contributes to a beer exchange of informaon between
them. Reading can be benecial even for the respiratory or cardiovascular system
owing to the fact that it acvates the frontal lobe, from which all the automac
funcons of the body, such as breathing or the heart funcon, depend on.
Conclusion: Generally, a book seeks nothing,in return, from the reader, as it
paently waits to oer its informaon, take a person out of a predicament and
transport a reader to magical worlds.
Keywords: Reading; Spare me; Reading books; Health
Introducon
Leisure me is an essenal chapter in human life. It is a period of
me spent not only out of work but also without housework. It
is the me period before or aer daily rounes, such as eang,
sleeping and working [1]. A person can engage in acvies that
may result in culvaon of human values and spiritual elevaon
through discussion, study and thought, through the pursuit of
knowledge, of dialecc, polical and cultural enlightenment [2,3].
In their spare me, young people usually choose the TV and the
computer that are common entertainment and training modes,
for they do not only help people relax and entertain but also
they are key factors in shaping adolescents’ personality
of character [4].
Regarding young people’s spare me, study that is pursued
mostly oneducaonalists’ or parents’ demand, or study that gets
freely on their own iniave can be integrated. The rst case
includes homework, remedial courses and foreign languages,
while the second case includes the independent reading of
books, newspapers and magazines, aimed at keeping informed or
entertained due to the fact that their instrucve role issecondary
[5,6].
Reading is a most benecial exercise for our brain and mind as it
could help the human brain perform all its funcons as properly
as possible. When people read on a regular basis, they force their
minds to think more; as a result, it enables reader to be more
insighul [7].

2018
Vol.3 No.4:39
2This article is available in: http://healthcare-communications.imedpub.com/archive.php
ARCHIVOS DE MEDICINA
ISSN 1698-9465
Journal of Healthcare Communications
ISSN 2472-1654
Actually, it is manifested that reading is a complex process during
which, individuals use both hemispheres of their brain. At the
same me, the Corpus Callosum, which is the ssue that connects
the two hemispheres, is acvated.Thereby, it contributes to a
beer exchange of informaon between them. Reading can
be benecial even for the respiratory or cardiovascular system
owing to the fact that reading acvates the frontal lobe, on which
all the automac funcons of the body, such as breathing or the
heart funcon, depend on [8,9].
According to sciensts, reading oers very tangible benets for
our health except for life culvaon, formaon of our soul and
broadening of our horizons [10].
Purpose
This review aims at delving into the eects of reading and studying
in order to promote health and quality of life.
Review Methods
Recent arcles on the subject have been mainly found in Medline
and Google Scholar electronic databases and the Hellenic
academic libraries Link (HEAL-Link). They have been the material
of the study, with the following keywords: reading, leisure,
reading books and health. The language of the arcles was the
criterion for exclusion of arcles except for Greek and English.
Review arcles and research ones have been found in the above-
menoned electronic databasesfor the preparaon of the specic
bibliographic review. Also, search via electronic databases
(hp://google.com) as well as nding informaon from scienc
books have been performed. Finally, 30 reference sources were
included.
Benets of Reading Books
The benets of reading are manifold and actually, they are
substanated through scienc research. Without the book, no
man will know his course over the centuries. Libraries are "the
memory of mankind" as books contain all the memorable events
of the past. Obviously,any naon that does not know their history
is doomed to exncon and spiritual lethargy because knowledge
is power [11].
The book leads signicantly to the compleon of human
personality. Readers gain valuable knowledge about the course
of life and their imaginaon could be excited. It is a means of
entertainment and, it generally appears as the person’s best
friend. It keeps individuals company throughout hours of
boredom and loneliness [12].
Books are not just a means of entertainment, art and delving into
people’s spiritual horizons, but it is also a valuable tool to solve
many kinds of problems people face in their lives [13].
Reading, as experts support, can help us ght obesity, relieve
stress or even prevent Alzheimer's disease [14].
In parcular:
1. It helps the brain be protected: According to sciensts from
the Neuroscience Center of Balmore “who searched 112
employees at a factory in Canada that had high levels of lead
in their blood due to prolonged exposure to the substance,
the workers who were avid readers had suered the least
damage to their mental health and they sat more successfully
the mental tests that the researchers submied” [9].
2. It helps people reduce stress: According to a recent research
from the University of Sussex, “even 6 minutes of reading a day
is enough to reject the 2/3 of the daily stress a person faces.
“Geng lost” within the pages of a book leads to absolute
relaxaon. Especially,according to experts, reading a book
before bedme is an acvity that relaxes people and helps
them deal with any stressful factors.” Indeed, this method is
considered very eecve in treang anxiety [8].
3. It helps concentraon: The regular reader of books acquires
the ability to pay full aenon to what he does and think
praccally, in an eecve and objecve way. It also develops
the ability to make decisions and solve problems [8].
4. It helps people combat insomnia: The habit of reading books
before sleeping helps regulate the body clock and send the
signal to the brain that it is me to sleep [8].
5. It helps demena prevenon: The agitaon caused to the
brain due to reading may help prevent brain disorders including
Alzheimer's disease. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic “in
the US studied the daily habits of 200 people from 70 to 89
years with mild memory disorders, during dierent life stages.
They found that middle-aged readers who devoted me to
reading and other creave pursuits, such as handicras, faced
40% less risk of experiencing further memory impairment or
Alzheimer's” [8].
6. It helps treat strokes: Reading, according to experts, makes
the brain able to withstand any harm – even strokes-because
it "obliges" readers to use alternave synapses, in other
words, connecons amongst brain neurons.
7. It helps obesity prevenon: Experts from Duke's children's
Hospital found that reading literary books can help obese kids
slim down. “Sciensts gave one novel tled "Lake Rescue"
(saving the Lake) to obese girls aged 9-13 years old, who had
already followed a slimming program, so as to read it. The
novel was chosen carefully by pediatricians specically for
this purpose. The book's heroine was an obese girl with a very
strong personality. Aer reading the book, the girls adopted a
healthy lifestyle and managed to lose weight and reduce body
mass index (BMI) aer 6 months” [8].
Instrucons for good reading
1. It is a prerequisite for construcve reading the chosen book
be pleasant. For example, unless a person likes poetry, he
must choose crime con.
2. The categories of books an individual reads can alternate,
depending on his mood. As he does not have the desire for
the same food every day, the same goes for reading. So,
tastes ought to be adjusted according to the mood a person is
in at that moment.

2018
Vol.3 No.4:39
3
© Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
ARCHIVOS DE MEDICINA
ISSN 1698-9465
Journal of Healthcare Communications
ISSN 2472-1654
3. A reader should choose a quiet place with good illuminaon
where he feels at ease.
4. A reader has to keep the book in the proper distance from
his eyes so that he does not get red because of reading. The
ideal distance is 25-30 cm [8].
The book is anxiolyc. The book is not just an awakening from
spiritual lethargy or a body of endless knowledge and informaon
but it sll oers mental and physical health; something that
nowadays is very important.
Reading as a Treatment - Bibliotherapy
Bibliotherapy, although relavely unknown in Greece, is an
exisng technique, which is constantly becoming more and more
popular. It is a method that has been established in the course
of me in dierent sciences and arts and it aims at one thing: it
helps people overcome all their personal problems, even health
ones, every inner turmoil that oen blocks their everyday lives
and makes them feel sorrow, pessimism and loneliness through
dicules [15,16].
In parcular, the term of bibliotherapy includes a variety of ways
in which books can be used as a therapeuc aid to solve personal
problems, guided by a specialist [17]. It is a medium through
which literature is used to help people experience emoonal and
social dicules [18].
The idea is not new. Inscripons are, not only in Greece as the
one of ancient Thebes, the other in the monastery of St. John the
Theologian, but there are also abroad, such as in Switzerland, in
the Ssbibliothek in St. Gallen. The inscripon at the entrance
of the ancient library of Thebes, which wrote "Place of care of the
soul", states the common belief that reading books helps boost
mental balance of a human being [19]. Indeed, Aristotle believed
that reading benets the emoonal health of the reader [20].
The method of bibliotherapy is disnguished in four types due to
its dierent objecves due to its applicability in many elds [21]:
1. Clinical bibliotherapy: Clinical bibliotherapy is used in the
mental health eld and engages in a more specic and
targeted intervenon to psychiatric paents [21].
2. Developmental or otherwise, prevenng bibliotherapy:
It can be used even at school for students to develop their
personal skills and tackle learning dicules [22].
3. Reading bibliotherapy: It is a method that funcons as a self-
assisng method for the reader while it is separated from
communicave/interacve bibliotherapy, which is based on
the conversaon among readers as a ferle and construcve
dialogue is produced [22].
4. Finally, communicave/interacve bibliotherapy: It is
dened as the process of guided meengs whose aim is to
assist parcipants to externalize emoons and respond
cognively to selected literary texts [17].
Bibliotherapy plays an important role because through this
process, emoonal change, personal improvement and
development of the reader involved are promoted. It also helps
people to enter mentally and emoonally into a safe experimental
environment around interpersonal relaonships [23].
The possibility of self-healing is potenal when a reader reads
a book. The treatment that is achieved through reading books
belongs to the domain of psychoeducaon. Psychoeducaon
helps people learn and understand what happens and why that
happens. This procedure has only benecial eects for anyone
who suers. Thereby contribung to rehabilitaon of people’s
health, health promoon and protecon. Thus, when someone
reads about his illness, idenes himself; they can beer control
their reacons and concerns. Also, their fears reduce noceably
[24].
Well, bibliotherapy as a clinical treatment, appeals to people of
all ages (the young, the old, children) that have a problem and
need help to deal with it. However, it can work as a preventave
measure just like prevenve measures individuals take in order
to avoid suering from a virus. Psychoeducaon seeks to develop
people’s self-esteem and prevent any problemac behaviour [25].
Conclusion
Reading is a dynamic act in which the reader is acvely involved
and has much relevance to thinking processes. It is a complex
process because it combines both cognive and mental funcons
of the person through the use of language, the ability of
percepon, processing and interpretaon of the text, the ability
to render meaning, etc. [24,25]. Bibliotherapy helps people solve
emoonal and psychological feelings, learning dicules, and
understand the world and their own [26].
Although there is a predominant view that young people should
not be overloaded with excessive and laborious homework,
which deprives them of the right to rest, enjoy, and exercise their
interests freely, readers use their minds more, and thus, people
become more insighul [27,28].
Generally, a book seeks nothing, in return, from the reader, as
it paently waits to oer its informaon, take a person out of
a predicament and transport a reader to magical worlds. Let
books give the gi of reading to people and their beloved ones;
individuals must remember that a book can be a game, treasure,
happiness and celebraon [29,30].

2018
Vol.3 No.4:39
4This article is available in: http://healthcare-communications.imedpub.com/archive.php
ARCHIVOS DE MEDICINA
ISSN 1698-9465
Journal of Healthcare Communications
ISSN 2472-1654
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